Virgen’s View: Another day of fun at Mesa Verde Classic
To her teammates in the 12th annual Mesa Verde Classic, Kalim Rayburn was known as the ringer. The Rea Elementary School principal actually made quite the name for herself during her debut in the charity golf tournament Monday at Mesa Verde Country Club.
Rayburn, who played golf at Long Beach Wilson High and college at Long Beach State, was happy to play because it was all for a good cause: youth sports in Costa Mesa, as the tournament is put on by Costa Mesa United. Rayburn knows plenty about CMU, the organization that helps build youth sports facilities in the area.
Recently CMU donated $5,000 to Rea and Costa Mesa company Cla-Val matched it to provide playground equipment at the Costa Mesa elementary school.
Rayburn showed her gratitude by winning two awards at the Mesa Verde Classic. She was closest to the pin and had the longest drive (240 yards) among women.
A Las Vegas theme was in play at the Mesa Verde Classic, with vendors near each tee box promoting their company and keeping in the spirit of Sin City with card games, showgirls and booze. On her team, Rayburn was the one who played, ahem, with a clear mind.
“My team had fun,” Rayburn said, refraining from being specific.
Everyone seemed to have fun at the tournament. City officials were present at the event, but talk of politics, especially of a new youth sports advisory committee formed last week, was generally kept under wraps at the golf course.
“Youth sports in Costa Mesa,” CMU President Gordon Bowley said of what the golf event is all about.
The Mesa Verde Classic was originally scheduled for Jan. 16, Martin Luther King Day, but was rained out, and postponed to Feb. 27, when it rained again.
“It’s better than we expected,” Bowley said. “It’s just wonderful. Everything has come together. The support is awesome. You just can’t beat it.”
Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley, who said she once chaired the Mesa Verde Classic, played in the event on Monday. Bowley said he was glad she attended and appreciated her support.
Foley, along with her trio, wore an outfit featuring a sequins jacket to support the Las Vegas theme.
“It’s just a fun day,” she said. “It’s always about trying to create opportunities for more improvement to our facilities in Costa Mesa.”
Los Angeles Chargers representatives, as well as Vans reps attended the event. Also, Charger Girls, the team’s cheerleaders, took photos with the golfers before the post-round dinner. The Vans employees handed out a free pair of vans to those who participated in the event.
The Chargers have made Costa Mesa their home in regards to their team headquarters and they recently formed a 10-year agreement to have training camp at the Jack Hammett Sports Complex, also known as the Farm.
The sponsors at each tee box went as such: 1. Newport Rib Company; 2. Garcia Chiropractic; 3. Outback Steakhouse; 4. Westpac Partners; 7. Theodore Robins Ford and the Halal Guys; 8. The Butchery; 9. KOCI and the Costa Mesa Chamber; 10. Wigmore Insurance. Longest drive contest hosted by Farwest Tech; 12. Grocery Outlet Market. Closest to the pin contest hosted by SoCo; 13. Gatehouse Properties; 14. Pitfire Pizza; 16. Nexus/Vivante; 17. Torelli Realty; 18. Maggiano’s. Suburban Cadillac.
Segerstrom & Sons, Cla-Val, The Triangle, the Chargers, the City of Costa Mesa and Mesa Verde Country Club also helped CMU put on the golf event.
Twitter: @SteveVirgen
